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L0301P44 – Learning Theory, Health and Illness
Behaviour *the manner in which we act under specified conditions or circumstances, or in relation to other things (the actions or reactions in response to a situation) Importance in Modern Society Behaviour *until the 20th century, people (most often children) typically died from nutritional deficiencies and infectious diseases (e.g., cholera, smallpox, tuberculosis, influenza) *in developed countries, with improvements in public health, infectious diseases are now largely controlled   Health Psychology *declining infant mortality has led to increased life expectancy *with increased life expectancy, chronic illnesses have become more prevalent *in recent decades understanding of the impact of human behaviour (e.g., smoking, exercise and diet) on these illnesses has improved Behavioural Risk Factors and Mortality Five leading causes of death in Australia *heart disease **smoking, high dietary cholesterol, lack of exercise *cancer and stroke **smoking, high dietary cholesterol, lack of exercise, high alcohol use Other causes of death *chronic obstructive pulmonary disease **smoking *accidents **alcohol/drug use, careless driving, not using seatbelts, not using protective equipment in workplaces Defining Behaviour “The awareness that health is dependent on habits that we control makes us the first generation in history that to a large extent determines its own destiny” Jimmy Carter *implications: **does not take into account social and individual factors **judging may occur when illness arises Superstitious Behaviour *occurs when a reward or punishment occur in close proximity to an independent behaviour *behaviour that is unrelated to the reward is then repeated/avoided in the accidental belief that it will cause reward/punishment *increases under stress, can create a sense of control *E.g.: rituals prior to performance; lucky charm to promote health Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory *we think about our experiences and try to understand them (cognitive) *emphasizes how we perceive our world and our experiences (social) *not all learning occurs via conditioning, behaviour can be observed in others *models who are viewed as being competent and highly regarded are more likely to be imitated   Self-Efficacy *our belief about our own abilities and talents that influences our behaviour in the future *E.g.: **strong belief in ability to do swim leads to do more swimming **adolescents with depression: higher sense of self-efficacy regarding their capacity to cope with symptoms = superior outcomes 2 and 4 years later Illness Behaviour *process by which a person goes from a well person to being an ill patient **are my symptoms normal? **what choices are available to help deal with my symptoms? **should I see a professional? “The sick role” *excused from normal roles/responsibilities *not personally responsible for being sick (initial: hiding, denial, emotional) *want to get better *cooperate with competent help  Learning *relatively permanent change in behaviour or potential behaviour that occurs as a result of prior experience *can be a result of many factors/stimuli *acquisition of: **knowledge and skills **shapes personal habits **shapes personal/group responses *can take place without people realising ** can be positive or negative **has to be relatively lasting Classical Conditioning Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) *any stimulus that produced a reflexive or innate response at the outset (i.e. without prior learning) *e.g.: pain Unconditioned Response (UCR) *the reflexive/innate response to UCS *e.g.: pain —> fear Conditioned stimulus (CS) *a neutral stimulus: after repeated pairings with the UCS, comes to elicit the CR *e.g.: doctor’s clinic —> pain —> fear Conditioned response (CR) *a response (similar to UCR), now elicited by the CS *e.g.: doctor’s clinic —> fear Operant Conditioning *consequences that immediately follow a behaviour will determine whether it will be repeated Stimulus —> Response —> Consequence *Reinforcement ® – is a consequence that will increase the chances that a behaviour will be repeated *Punishment (P) - is a consequence that decreases the future likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated *can be positive (+) or negative (-) Example: *R+ : take medication = feel better *R- : continued drug use = avoid withdrawal *P+ : illegally parking = parking fine *P- : child throws tantrum = parent ignores Timing and Strength *reinforcers are most effective if they are presented soon after the response occur **e.g.: parking fine immediately after not buying a ticket *strength / size of the reinforcer also has an effect on learning **e.g.: parking fine of $80 for a missing $2 ticket Differences between Classical and Operant Conditioning